Four Dead in Alcohol Related Crash

Four people have been confirmed dead and several others were reported injured in a crash in New York over the weekend. The incident occurred early on Sunday morning d on the Hudson River near the town of Red Hook when a 19 ft motorboat crashed into a concrete wall and capsized.

Of six people on the boat, one was thrown from the boat and died. The other three victims went down with the boat. The last two passengers on the boat managed to swim to shore. The bodies of the deceased have all been recovered.

Dutchess County Sheriff’s officers found bottles of alcohol on the boat. Authorities also believe that the operator of the boat may have been driving at excessive speed. It is not yet clear who was operating the boat.

The Coast Guard in a report released last month confirmed that alcohol is the number one factor contributing to boating accidents in 2010. It was linked to at least 50% of all crashes and 19% of all fatal boating accidents in 2010.